The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on dozens of people and entities, including a Russian commercial bank and a virtual currency mining company, Reuters reported.
The US Treasury Department said it designated a virtual currency mining company for the first time, alongside more than 40 people and entities led by US-designated Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev.
“Treasury can and will target those who evade, attempt to evade, or aid the evasion of U.S. sanctions against Russia, as they are helping support Putin’s brutal war of choice,” Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wednesday's move targets Russia's virtual currency mining industry, reportedly the third largest in the world, sanctioning the holding company of Moscow-based bitcoin miner BitRiver, which operates data center in Siberia, and 10 of the holding company's Russia-based subsidiaries.
The Treasury also sanctioned Russian commercial bank Transkapitalbank, whose representatives it said serve several banks in Asia, including in China, and the Middle East, and have suggested options to evade international sanctions.
Its subsidiary, Investtradebank, was also designated.
The move freezes any US assets of those designated and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
The US and other Western countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, Washington announced new measures against Russia, such as sanctions on President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for even harsher sanctions that are economically destructive enough for Russia to end its war against his country.